Abstract This application requests five years of continued support for our postdoctoral training program in research relevant to the kidney. The overall goal of this program is to develop skilled investigators trained to conduct research in clinical science, translational science or bench science, and capable of academic careers as independent researchers. This program represents collaboration between the University of Pennsylvania's adult and pediatric renal divisions, and Penn's many biomedical research programs. The program is advantaged by Penn's outstanding collaborative research environment. Our program is designed to support two years of salary and tuition costs for five MD, MD-PhD, (or rarely PhD) post-doctoral fellows per year, who typically have completed training in either adult or pediatric clinical nephrology. The training program: will provide supervised, hands-on trainee-driven research experiences in state-of-the-art scientific concepts, methodological approaches and foundational knowledge for advancing our understanding of kidney disease; will offer a core curriculum that includes completion of a formal master's degree program; will unite talented and successful mentors who have active research programs relevant to pediatric and adult kidney disease; will maintain a strong mentoring program that employs career development enhancement activities that foster community and enable trainee career advancement; and, will maintain experienced leadership and an administrative structure that ensures fluid program function, provides for trainee and mentor assessment, and ensures ongoing program quality improvement.